


So Long As One Star Yet Burns

by NestPlaster



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Darkness, End of the World, Enemies to Friends, Gen, Looking Back And Wondering, Nerfs, Regret, Understanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 03:11:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11750838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NestPlaster/pseuds/NestPlaster
Summary: Can Leia Organa and Grand Moff Tarkin find common ground before it is too late?





	1. Chapter 1

"Tyrant" spat Leia, standing proud and tall in the corridor of the Imperial space station. Despite being alone and on hostile ground, she gave no quarter, and asked none in return.

"Defiant" said Grand Moff Tarkin casually, as if he had only the faintest of interest in the discussion. "They often start out defiant." He turned suddenly, piercing eyes pinning the princess in place. "And yet, here we stand on my space station, in my system, within my sector. What has defiance given you today?"

"Heart" answered Leia, "and the belief that tyranny will always fall in time." The moment hung in the air.

"Enough" sighed Tarkin, spinning on his heel and walking away. "Guards, see her to interrogation room 7." Without looking back he rounded the corner, boots ringing out against the steel of the floor.

Leia tensed up, then looked cautiously from side to side.

Where were the guards, anyways?

  


* * *

The death star hangs silent; apart from all it sees by design

* * *

  


"The rebel base is gone," said Leia sadly, "you can stop asking about the location. There doesn't seem to be one anymore."

Tarkin huffed and paced. "Of course a rebel would say that, to try and convince me"

"Enough" Leia said, her voice calm yet rich with authority. "Don't try to pretend you haven't noticed as well." She turned to face Tarkin, robes brushing the burnished steel of Vadars stronghold. "Why are we even here, of all places, talking about this? You know as well as I do that things are going away."

Tarkin sighed and collapsed in on himself. "Of course" he acknowledged quietly. "I am not a fool. I had wondered if it was a rebel plot, or some sort of mental torture I had succumbed to. Yet you say you have lost a base as well."

"If it is a plot, it is by a force greater than either of ours" said Leia. "Even the dark side should not be capable of this."

"Myths and spirits" replied Tarkin, laying a hand on a railing and looking out over an abyss of flames. "Myths, and yet what else."

  


* * *

A gout of flame surges upwards; inevitably it falls to its origin

* * *

  


"I used to love coming out here, when I was younger." Leia stepped forward slightly, taking herself from the shade of the tree into the fading light of the sun. On the plains before them the nerfs fed serenely in the golden light of the sunset. "Such beauty and grace. Such a shame..."

From the shadows Tarkin answered, "that I gave the order to have them destroyed? I can remember what I watched from the heights when I was younger. Slums, shadowed and treacherous such as you can not imagine. Murder, and crimes worse. So many in need of safety, of a secure place to live. Would that I could take you there as easily -- the memories are just as strong. You judge through such a narrow viewport."

"And yet" Leia replied, "you can not deny their beauty."

Below, a nerf looked up briefly, as if in alarm. The moment passed and it returned to feeding.

  


* * *

The sun sets behind the plateau; darkness falls across the plain

* * *

  


The two stood on the bridge of the Death Star. The sky was dim, with only the most scattered of points of light still breaking the blackness of space.

"Funny that we should find ourselves here." said Tarkin.

"When nothing else is left, where better than the destroyer?" replied Leia, although no malice was left in her voice.

"I worked so hard to build things" said Tarkin, as much to the blackness of space as to Leia. "All of my life, trying to bring order and structure to the world. Finally I built," he gestured abstractly to their surroundings, "this. And now I see what order is -- consistency at the cost of all else."

Leia paused a moment in reflection before speaking in turn. "I worked for freedom," she started, "for the people. Yet I always knew I really wanted freedom for myself, from my responsibilities. Now I find myself with no people to rule, no downtrodden to aid, and I wonder if freedom is really what matters. Is this what I craved all along? Did I bring this upon myself?"

"I just wanted to make the galaxy a better place" they said in unison, then turned in surprise to look at each other. Unnoticed, the final star went dark.


	2. Chapter 2


    MIME-Version: 1.0
    Received: by 10.12.146.24 with HTTP; Tue, 8 Aug 2017 19:56:03 -0700 (PDT)
    Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2016 20:56:03 -0600
    Delivered-To: rblanfor@ilm.com
    Message-ID: CBHXzf2Suq4W1=GNaQNiFCpBEhwZPt5muQSqVRNOZ97LeqGzBDQ@mail.ilm.com
    Subject: cluster cleanup
    From: Clark (cdresel@ilm.com)
    To: Rita Blanford (rblanfor@ilm.com)
    
    Hey Rita, found a rogue process eating up some cpu on the cluster -- looks like one of yours. You still need this?
    
    rclust17-int:~ cdresel$ docker ps
    CONTAINER ID        IMAGE               COMMAND             CREATED             STATUS              PORTS               NAMES
    1429c5ce7f7d        ilmlinux            drawscene           57 days ago         Up 57 days          22                  renderfarm005a
    
    
    

* * *
    
    
    ~rblanfor$ docker rm -f renderfarm005a
    renderfarm005a
    ~rblanfor$
    


End file.
